Character education in the United States: a history of a movement with special attention to the Character Education Inquiry

The purpose of this dissertation is to develop a thorough historical analysis of twentieth century character education in American public schools, with special attention to the impact of the Character Education Inquiry (1928-1930) upon the curricula, pedagogy, and scholarly literature related to the character education movement. This work will also provide a comprehensive survey and critique of what presently passes for character education in the United States, building on the work of McClellan and Cunningham by examining the reputed decline in virtue in Americas schools against a historical backdrop of societal changes. The goal of this investigation is to place contemporary advocacy in its historical context to more fully understand the problems and contradictions in the current character education initiative, while simultaneously surveying the positive place of character education today.